The Web site belongs to the Houston Naturalist Society, a white pride organization based in Houston. The first paragraph of text on the group's Web site reads: "The social ills in the Houston, Texas area are rampant. Yet, only a few short decades ago these problems were contained. We intend to use all available media at our disposal to enlighten and to Build Understanding amongst the beleaguered White residents in this area. Survival information and resources are denied White residents due to the controlled news and entertainment media."

Those who called the contact phone number were met with a recorded message from the National Alliance, another, much larger white-pride organization based in West Virginia. The message refers to the organization's battle for white pride as "the greatest cause of all." It also states: "At last, there is an effective, responsible and uncompromising organization for white people. That organization is the National Alliance."

The phone message also offers books for children, "free of the interracial and pro-homosexual propaganda that our libraries, public schools and even some of our churches force-feed to our children today."

The yellow cards were mailed to a handful of different streets in Alden Bridge, a tactic that is typical of the Houston Naturalist Society, said Dena Marks, media-relations officer for the Anti Defamation League. In September, other residents of The Woodlands reported to the league that they had received similar cards .

The Anti Defamation League also has received reports of the cards being distributed in west Houston and the West University area, Marks said.

While cards carrying "pro-white" propaganda may be offensive to many people, they are protected under the First Amendment. Until the letters become threatening to an individual, Marks said, they are not illegal.

"We don't have to like what they say, and we don't like what they say. But they have the right to send it out," Marks said. "Traditionally, that's how they operate."

While the cards can legally be mailed within the United States, said Susan Shaw, associate director of the Anti Defamation League, it is important for citizens who receive them to report the activity, either to local law-enforcement agencies or to a group such as the Anti Defamation League.

"The natural reaction when a person receives something like this is, 'What is this?' and 'Why have I been targeted?' and 'What does this mean?'" Shaw said. "It's imperative that people let law-enforcement officials know that they've received this information card, or anything similar."

Chris Beam, a representative of the Center for the Healing of Racism, said a predominantly white, Christian community such as The Woodlands, at times, can be a target area for groups like this.

"Any time any group like that can find a chink in the armor, so to speak, where they can play into a sense of uncertainty about what we might just call white Christian communities to buy into their message, they're going to use it to their advantage," Beam said. "Sometimes, they'll approach it from a religious aspect, that we have been blessed with this land and the problems we have with this land are because of minority groups and people of color.

"If they can find even a theological approach in their own minds, then they're going to use that to draw people in to at least listen to them."

Beam said the Internet has become a very cheap and effective way for groups such as the National Alliance or the Houston Naturalist Society to get their word out. Over the last three years, he said, the number of hate Web sites has exploded.

"Some of these Web sites are becoming more and more prevalent," Beam said. "They know that so many of the youth are into the Net, and I think that's why they're using that means, to try to get to young folks."

By using the Internet, many of these organizations attempt to mask their message under a more innocuous message. For example, Beam said he has seen some hate groups use crossword puzzles or games to attract children and younger audiences.

"If you just looked at it without going beneath the surface, it would seem to be, 'OK, this is so nice for kids,'" Beam said. "What they're doing is they're weaving in their ideologies into those little games. It's very deceptive, kind of subtle."

The Web site of the Houston Naturalist Society, for example, speaks of preserving nature. From there, the group ties in its agenda. One passage from the Web site reads: "The vast majority of people who appreciate the aesthetic values of nature are, and have always been, White. Look at the ethnic composition of any group concerned for the environment, and you will look into a sea of White faces. Should the White race expire in Houston and in the surrounding areas, the land will become foul and polluted."

The Web site contains only an e-mail address for a Web master by the name of "Dan," and the only telephone number connects to a recording.

Attempts to reach "Dan" via e-mail were unanswered.

Marks said, in many cases, extremist groups use tactics like this on the Internet to make the group seem larger than it is.

"It's really easy to do that with a Web site," Marks said. "So it may just be one person who's doing this."

Many residents received the cards, coincidentally or not, on a day when a forum was scheduled to help families deal with hate or intolerance they had experienced.

Faiths Together, a fellowship of religious communities in The Woodlands, sponsored the first "No Place for Hate" forum Thursday night, Feb. 8, at Congregation Beth Shalom of The Woodlands. More than 100 people attended the event.

Incidents like this, as well as the number of questions posed that night, show a need for such a forum to be held on a regular basis in The Woodlands, Beam said.

"The more we can do with carrying the process farther, like what we're doing with this group, will continually build an awareness in the community, and build an environment where those people can't feed off of us," Beam said.

With the success of the first meeting, a follow-up meeting has been planned March 1, at 7:30 p.m., at Congregation Beth Shalom.

"There still remains a lot of unanswered questions, so I think it's great that this is going to be an ongoing program," Shaw said.